Joining the Royal Auxiliary Air Force when I was 40 and probably a bit past it. Buying my 'trailer home' (we call them mobile homes) in France although I'm still looking for the catch. Things involving relatives is still a work in progress.

One choice I made in my life was marrying my children's father.He had really bad health when we first married.I was young and idealistic and stupid, and thought that with time and with our love, he would get better.He had had an aneurysm and lost many of his capacities.We were already engaged to be married when he had the aneurysm and I still loved him, so I did not see the problem with marrying.He recovered enough and works and takes care of himself now. He's still alive.

But his mental health deteriorated in time.He had his aneurysm before there were many of the medicines that exist now.He had to take anticonvulsive medication, and it caused depression, and antidepressants did not exist at the time.

Life got hard. After a while he could not function intellectually to be able to work. He did not get health insurance nor any type of benefits to help out.Life got weird. He started having hallucinations and got very paranoid.

I was scared of him. Scared he might come home one day and kill me or the children.

Before he deteriorated, we loved each other very much, did lots of things together, laughed a lot and played silly games together.We had the children and loved them both.

He deteriorated. And it was either fast (and I did not catch it) or it was a process and I just did not see it because I worked days, and he worked nights, and the time we spent together (before he lost his bucket) had been fun.

Everyone in my family told me not to marry him after he had the aneurysm.I chose to marry him anyway.We had about 6 years of fun.Then many years of confusion and heat break.

We had the children, which have been a lot of fun, at least on my side.

We are friends now. I still see him several times a month, he lives in the same town. We run into each other at my son's house when I go to see my grand-kids.We are friends now.Like siblings.

It is because of things like this that I believe health care should be free. Society should be able to pull together and and help carers. It is a most cruel world without health and social support. I feel for you Lannah. The damn republicans and conservatives over here seem to think everything is okay because they have the wealth and it will not happen to them. I see our health care being cut back but it is still far better than the States. I do not know if you use the expression in the states "pull the ladder up Jack. I 'm okay" but that is how Tories see things (imo).

I remember going to counseling one, and talking the the therapist and she told me that Pablo's situation (my ex-husband's) could be resolved with 3 specific medications that she listed off the top of her head.But here, a lot of companies do not offer health insurance.Or if they do it is really basic, like the emergency room for broken bones, or an asthma attack, or stitches.

But one cannot see a doctor that will diagnose you and prescribe preventive and maintenance medication for long term chronic health conditions.

Drug companies always want to invest in private medicine because they can charge what they want and sell what they want. They have a trouble with the NHS because the NHS will decide if the drug is worth it, then test it out and also go to other companies if the drug does not satisfy them. That is why so many drug companies supported the Tea party campaign.

The can charge whatever they want for a medicine!So each pharmacy/chemist will charge a different amount!

I have hypothyroidism, and have been on hormone replacement since I was 27.Synthroid is the the name brand over here.The generic is Levothyroxine.

Synthroid, the name brand is $30 a month.I used to pay $12 a month for the generic one.

Well, I have a CVS Chemist walking distance from my house and I had my prescription filled there, when I finally got insurance through my Fiat Dealership job.They charged me $30 for the month, for the generic pills.

The generic pills are oblong shaped; the name brand are shaped like a number 8, or an eternity symbol.So there is no way one could confuse them!

For my refill I went to the WalMart pharmacy/chemist.I asked her to call CVS and transfer my prescription from there to WalMart.The Chemist did.

Walmart gave me 3 months worth of generic thyroid hormone pills (90) for $12!!!!!They are oblong and blue, just like the ones from CVS!!!!

It makes me want to scream and cry!

Have you seen the movie: "Love and Other Drugs"? It deals with the issue of affordable medication, or non-affordable medications in the US, and there is one character that reminded me of my ex-husband and it made me cry!I think it is based on a novel, based on a real couple.

In the England you would be expected to pay an NHS subscription fee of £8.40 ($12.11) per medication every three months or if you have many medications you can pay £104 ($149.89) for a years worth of unlimited prescribed medications. People over 60 still get them free. However if you live in Wales or Scotland you can get them free. With some prescriptions you can get free anywhere in the UK. For example - if you a diabetic then you get your insulin free.

Being diabetic, I get every thing free. I am on two lots of blood pressure pills. The max is three months supply which means I have to return to Blighty for resupply. Walmart, on the other hand can supply my requirements, from India, for £600 per year, which is a lot cheaper than the fuel, ferry and tolls. I am having to weigh up the risk factor of slipping my tether to the NHS. If they find out you spend most of your time abroad, you become a pariah. I've just remembered, I had trouble signing on at a Dr's surgery in 1979 because I had just left the navy and wasn't in the system. The secretary treated me like I had left the country and kept asking me where I had been and why I was returning.

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